In Our Dreams, We Live Forever
by hatersgonnahate104
Summary: AU; Annabeth Chase is a sixteen-year-old girl with lung cancer. Her mother thinks she needs to join a cancer support group to meet people. Annabeth then meets Percy Jackson, a boy who has been cancer free for fourteen months. They are instantly attracted to each other. But will Annabeth let the sparks fly knowing death is near? Or will she keep to herself? Please review! May be OOC
1. Chapter 1

**Inspired by my favourite book 'The Fault In Our Stars' by my favourite author, John Green.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned PJO, I wouldn't be on this site.**

**Thanks to my Beta and best friend IGotDaFeels**

**Additional notes: Inspired by my favourite book 'The Fault In Our Stars' by my favourite author, John Green.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned PJO, I wouldn't be on this site**.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Annabeth's POV

When I heard that I was diagnosed with Stage II Small Cell Lung cancer, I cried. That was when I was thirteen. It all happened while I was at Camp Half-Blood, which is a summer camp that all Greek Mythology nuts (like me) go to. There was a relay race, and I was the person who had to run to the finish line, since I was a fast runner (not to brag or anything, just stating the facts). When I felt the cool baton land in my sweaty palm, I gripped it with all my strength and started dashing for the finish line.

But then, after only a few moments of sprinting, I began to wheeze and pant, my lungs screaming obscenities at my brain. This was unusual. I could normally sprint 440 yards without a sweat, but now….

I just kept going, determined to win this for the Athena cabin (in which I was situated). I barely managed to cross the finish line when I collapsed, pain wracking my chest, causing sweat to roll down my brow and tears to spring to the corners of my eyes.

Chiron, the activities director, came over and helped me up. My mouth contorted in a nonexistent scream from the agony of moving.

"Annabeth, what's wrong?" he asked me, concern evident in his voice.

"Chest…hurts…." I gasped, barely able to form words.

"Call 911!" Chiron called to a counsellor, who nodded and ran as soon as he could to the

main office.

After that, the ambulance arrived within minutes and I was put on a gurney and rolled into the ambulance. Chiron rode with me in the back to the emergency room, while the camp director, Mr. D, called my parents. With a quick X-ray, they found the tumors in my lungs and my chest, distorted lumps growing from my flesh. My parents cried along with me at the diagnosis.

I met a doctor named Dr. Mark who would 'be working with me on my case'. His words, not mine. He suggested surgery, to get the tumors out of my chest area, but my parents refused. We didn't want to get to that unless it was necessary, so we just decided to do chemo.

Sadly, that was three years ago, and now I'm sixteen. I've been having trouble breathing, and so I now have a BiPAP with me, to help me breathe. Once I needed the BiPAP, my parents took me out of regular school and I was homeschooled. I worked hard and, soon enough, passed high school at age fifteen. I was now studying at the local community college, in a private class, which was one of the "you-have-cancer" perks, I guess. I studied architecture, since it had been my passion since I was twelve.

Soon enough, my mom thought I should talk to some other poor unfortunate souls who also have cancer, so she set me up with a cancer support group. Every Wednesday afternoon, at sometime around four, we would meet in Central Park, have a little picnic, and share our individual fights with our horrific diseases. Every time it was my turn to say something I just said, "I'm okay." But that was it.

The truth was, I was too scared to talk about it, because then…

The prospect of dying…

Would become real.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hello! It's been a while since I wrote PJO fanfiction and if you've read my 'The Red Games' series, I'm really sorry this isn't the sequel to 'Second Chances' that I promised. Sadly, I have lost all inspiration for it **

**But I got my inspiration for writing this story by reading 'The Fault In Our Stars' by the amazing author John Green. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it, since it is a beautiful novel. And if you have, I will be putting little references to the book in every chapter (in fact, maybe a few lines from the book) and will give out virtual cookies to the people who guess the references! **

**Also, I'm sorry if I get the facts wrong, I'm still researching!**

**Anyways, please don't flame and please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**This story is inspired by 'The Fault In Our Stars' by the amazing author, John Green. **

**Thanks to my Beta and best friend IGotDaFeels**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or TFiOS**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Annabeth's POV

I was sitting on the couch, reading a book, when my mom suddenly yanked the book out of my hands. I glared up at her, and she glared at me in return.

"What was that for?" I demanded, crossing my arms like a petulant child. She sighed and shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"Why didn't you go to the Support Group yesterday?" she asked. I slumped into the sofa.

"I didn't want to," I muttered, looking at everything _except _my mom. She sighed again and plopped herself down next to me.

"Annabeth, you need to get out more," she told me. "Spend some more time with people your own age…and people who can sympathize with you." I stood up.

"Maybe I just want to be alone when I die," I snapped, turning around to walk up to my room. My mom's hand shot out to grab my frail wrist.

"Don't ever say that again, Annabeth Chase," she said dangerously. "Ever." I yanked my wrist out of her grip and trudged upstairs.

"Don't disturb me," I said. "I have homework."

"Annabeth Chase, you will stop acting like a five-year-old and listen to your mo-"

I slammed the door.

* * *

I had dozed off, when I heard a knock on my door. Groaning, I turned and hid my head under my pillow when I heard the door creak open and soft footsteps walking toward my bed.

"Annabeth," my dad's voice murmured, as he gently shook me. "Wake up." I moaned and opened my eyes.

"What?" I asked, my voice coated with sleep.

"We've got to get you to support group," he told me. I just turned onto my side and closed my eyes again.

"I'm not going," I told him irritably.

"Listen, we've got to get going before your mother blows a gasket at you," he told me. "How about we eat out, huh?"

"They serve food at Support Group," I mumbled, trying to fall back asleep. Dad gave a short sigh of irritation.

"Alright, Annabeth," he said. "You leave me no choice." He yanked the blanket off my body and I immediately shivered, missing the warmth. "Get up!"

I sighed and slowly got up and out of bed.

"Go change, I'll be waiting in the car," he told me and left the room, closing the door behind him. I grabbed a pair of jeans and my orange 'Camp Half-Blood' t-shirt and tugged them on, doing my best not to fall over in my half-awake state. I then grabbed my BiPAP and lugged him (at least, I think it's a him) down the stairs. My mom stood at the door. She gave me a hug and a kiss goodbye, like we didn't fight just a few hours ago.

"I'm sorry Annabeth," she said. "But you were acting like a little girl, and you're sixteen. You know you shouldn't act like that. Have fun at Support Group, dear." I pulled out of the hug.

"I'll see you later," I told her, leaving the house. My dad stepped out of the car and helped me lug the BiPAP in the backseat with me. When that was all done, we set off towards Central Park.

"Do you have any friends at the Support Group?" he asked me, sparing me a glance in the front view mirror.

"Yeah, one," I said. "Her name's Thalia, but I don't think she's going to come to Support Group anymore." I saw him frown in the mirror.

"Why not?" he asked.

"She has osteosarcoma, and…she's going to have surgery soon, and get a…prosthetic leg, so she might not need to come to support group anymore," I told him. He sighed.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Annabeth," he told me. "But, at least she's going to get better, right?" I just shrugged and left it at that.

"We're here," he said, just a few minutes later, pulling up to Central Park. He helped me pulled my BiPAP out of the car and lug it onto a cart.

"Annabeth, try to talk to the support group, will you?" he asked, an almost pleading tone in his voice.

"Okay," I grumbled, gripping the handle of the cart.

"I'll see you in two hours," he called after me as I set towards the small group sitting on a picnic blanket. I just waved, signaling that I heard him. As I approached the small group of people, I spotted a new guy sitting next to Thalia. She smiled and waved at me when she saw me heading towards her. She stood up shakily, with the help of the dude next to her, and hugged me.

"Annabeth, where were you yesterday?" she demanded, hitting me lightly. "You left me all alone! I didn't even know if you were coming or not today so I called over my cousin, who HAD osteosarcoma too." She motioned to the guy who was holding her steady.

He had jet black hair and sea-green eyes hovering over strong, but refined, features. _He looks like a Greek God… Wait. Did I _really _just think that!?_ I flushed.

"Hi, I'm Percy Jackson," he said, shaking my hand.

"Annabeth Chase," I replied. "So…you're Thalia's cousin?"

"Yeah," he said. "On the dad's side."

"Alright everyone!" the Support Group leader, Apollo, said. "Let's gather in a circle." Silently, all of us did.

"So, does anyone have anything they want to share today?" he asked. Ethan Nakumura, a boy who lost an eye to cancer, stuck his hand up.

"Alright, Ethan." Apollo said. "Go ahead." Ethan cleared his throat.

"As everyone knows, I already lost one eye to the hellish disease we all have in some shape or form," he started. Everyone nodded.

"Well," he continued. "It turns out I'm going to have to have surgery to take out my last remaining eye." Jenna, a girl sitting next to Ethan, patted his arm in consolation.

"That's horrible, Ethan," Apollo said in his usual dramatic way when some of us say something bad. "We should all pray for Ethan."

"Why bother? He's going to lose his eye anyways," Thalia muttered. I snickered.

"Anyone else want to share?" Apollo asked, taking a burrito out of his pocket and biting into it. He scanned the crowd and his gaze landed on Percy.

"Oh! We have a newcomer!" he said in a positive tone that made me want to barf rainbows and unicorns. "What's your name?"

"Um…I'm Percy," he mumbled hesitantly.

"Hi, Percy," all of us droned.

"And what brings you here Percy?" Apollo asked. "Do you have cancer too?"

"Well…today I'm mainly here to help Thalia, but I used to have osteosarcoma as well," he said. "I had the same surgery Thalia is going to have and so now I have a prosthetic."

"That's nice," Apollo said, scanning the crowd for a new victim to pick on. And of course, his gaze landed on me.

"Annabeth!" he cried. "You weren't here yesterday. What were you doing?"

"Nothing," I said. He frowned.

"Then why weren't you here?" he asked, confused. I tried to control my irritation, which was about to burst, and _not _into rainbows and unicorns.

"Probably because I hate this place," I replied, venom in my voice. I could feel everyone's eyes on me.

"And why do you hate it here Annabeth?" Apollo kept asking his annoying questions. "You hardly speak at all, Annabeth, and when you do, you say that you're just okay. It helps to talk things out. Isn't that why you're here?"

"I'm okay," I said, reigning in my irritation. If my mom heard I exploded during Support Group, she would KILL me. "I'm sorry I missed yesterday, but just please accept my answer and move on. Nothing's changed with my cancer and nothing will change so please just…move onto the next person." Apollo looked taken aback by my answer. It was almost like he had expected me to start crying and confess everything (which has happened before with other people).

"Well…it seems like this meeting is over," he said. I checked my watch, surprised that it had already been two hours. "See you guys tomorrow!" Apollo stood up and headed to his car.

"I didn't think you would reply like that," Thalia said, a bit shocked. "Apollo always makes people cry when he uses that little speech."

"I thought you knew me by now, Thalia," I replied. "I don't cry." She laughed. I looked over her shoulder and saw Percy staring at me, intrigued.

"Do you guys want to come over to my house?" he asked. "My mom made cookies." Thalia shrugged.

"Sure," she replied. "Annabeth?" I shrugged too.

"Okay," I replied. What harm could it do? "I should tell my dad though."

"I see his car," Thalia said. "Go tell him, we'll wait right here." I nodded and stood up, walking towards my dad's car, lugging my BiPAP around. I knocked on the window and he rolled it down.

"I'm going over to Thalia's cousin's house," I told him.

"Do you want me to pick you up?" he asked. "You could text me the address."

"No, I'll catch a ride home," I said. He nodded. I started walking back to Thalia and Percy.

"Don't be out too late, Annabeth!" he called after me.

"I won't!" I yelled back.

'Shall we go then?" Percy asked. Thalia and I nodded. I began to worry though. We were walking. What if my lungs suddenly collapsed?

"Don't worry, Percy's house isn't far from here," she said. "Your lungs will be just fine." I sighed in relief.

"Thanks Thal," I whispered to her as we started walking.

* * *

Thalia had left earlier than I hoped and so it was just Percy and I, since his mom went to dinner with his step-father. We just sat in front of his TV as he played some type of video game and snacked on some blue cookies (Percy and his mom were obsessed with blue food colouring).

"So, Annabeth Chase," Percy began, staring at the screen in concentration. "What type of cancer do you have?"

"My lungs," I said. "The sad thing is…I could've been an Olympic runner." He shot me a sympathetic look out of the corner of his eye.

"I know, it sucks right? I could've been on the swim team, but then the osteosarcoma struck," he said. "People told me I was pretty damn good."

"Hm, I believe them," I said, scanning his athletic figure. God, was I checking him out? No way. I looked away awkwardly.

"Anyways," he said, changing the subject. "Do you play video games?" I shook my head.

"No, don't want to rot my brain," I reply. "I prefer reading." He gave me another glance out of the corner of his eye.

"You know, you seem much wiser than all of us," he remarked. "It seems like you're not sixteen, but in like…college."

"Actually…." I said. He paused the game and turned to stare at me.

"Really?" he asked. I nodded. He whistled.

"Wow, a college girl," he said. I smirked.

"You still go to high school?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yup, Goode High, my step father teaches there," he replied.

"My friend goes to Goode, her name's Rachel," I told him.

"Rach?" he said, sounding surprised. "You know Rach?" I nodded. "Wow. Small world." He then unpaused the game and resumed playing.

"You want to play?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No thanks," I replied. "I'll just read." I had found a book lying around and picked it up.

"Whatcha reading?" Percy asked after a while.

"It's a book called 'An Imperial Affliction' by some dude named…Poseidon," I said. He hummed, paying attention to the game.

"What's it about?" he asked.

"Some girl who has cancer who starts her own charity," I replied. It was actually a fairly short story and I finished it in an hour. The story ended in mid-sentence, and I was actually wondering about what happened. It was such an enigmatic ending. I frowned and set the book down. I guess Percy spotted my frown and asked,

"Why are you frowning?"

"It's just…this book," I replied. "The ending was…confusing and… Invigorating, almost."

"Okay, I'll pretend to know what that word means," he replied. I rolled my eyes

"It was a good book," I simplified.

"Oh," he said. "Is it worth reading?" I thought about it.

"Yes," I replied. "It really is." He was silent for a bit but then paused the game again.

"I'm about to make you a deal, Annabeth Chase," he started saying.

"Just Annabeth," I corrected him.

"Okay, 'Just Annabeth', I'm about to make you a deal," he continued. I smiled warily.

"And what is this 'deal'?" I asked.

"I'll read this book…what's it called? 'An Imperial Affliction', if you play this video game. You DO have a Playstation 3 right?" I nodded.

"My dad's," I replied.

"Right, so…deal?" he asked. I paused, thinking it through. It would be nice to have somebody else read it who also has/had cancer….but playing a stupid video game….?

"Fine, change of plan," he said, and he stood up. He walked over to a bookshelf and took out a book and handed it to me. I stared at the cover. There were soldiers and dead bodies everyone.

"This is the only book I've ever read and it's based on this video game," he said. "You read this and I'll read 'An Imperial Affliction'. Deal?" I nodded. At least I could read the video game and not play it. I checked the clock.

"I've got to get going," I said.

"Do you want me to drop you off?" he asked politely. I shook my head.

"I can catch a cab," I replied. We walked towards the door and I opened it.

"Well, see you," I said, but he grabbed my wrist before I could leave. He grabbed a pen and wrote something on my arm.

"My number," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow?" I chuckled.

"Woah there tiger, aren't we being a bit clingy?" I asked. _STOP FLIRTING ANNABETH!_

"Well, I wanted to see you again later tonight, but I guess I'll settle for tomorrow," he replied cheekily. I blushed.

"Bye Percy," I said, stepping out of the door.

"See you tomorrow 'Just Annabeth'," he called to me as the door closed. I took the elevator to the ground floor and hailed a taxi.

Needless, to say, my mom raised a questioning eyebrow when she saw the goofy grin on my face.

* * *

**Author's note: So...yeah. That's the second chapter. I had planned to upload this on Wednesday, but my Beta had emailed me when I had left for a camping trip :( so that's why it's up now. **

**Anyways, I would like to thank Sora Loves Rain,TeamValdezForever, Meghan Thalia Jackson, SingingFroggy, brharrypotter7, Percy jaqueson, and zizzyzoo for favouriting/following/reviewing!**

**Replies to reviews:**

**TeamValdezForever: **Aw, thank you :) Honestly, when I read TFiOS I totally fell in love with the story and the characters.

**SingingFroggy: **Thanks :) I'm actually trying my best on this story.

**PLEASE REVIEW! I'M NEEDY, I ADMIT IT, BUT PLEASE REVIEW! THEY MAKE MY DAY!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: HOLY CRAP! HAS IT REALLY BEEN ****THIS LONG**** SINCE I LAST UPDATED?! :O**

**OMG, I AM SOOOOO SORRY. Life had caught up to me, and school too -.-. I kept thinking "I gotta update, I gotta update…." And I never really do it. So as an apology, there will be a SUPER LONG chapter tomorrow. Again, SOOO SORRY! **

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PJO AND TFiOS**

**THANKS TO MY BETA (AND BESTIE): IGotDaFeels**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Annabeth's POV (A/N: as always….)

I woke up that morning to the sound of my phone buzzing, and my eyes slowly fluttered open, adjusting to the light. Groggily, I groped around my bedside table for my phone, knocking down a glass of water in the process. Finally, I managed to scoop it up, and, squinting, I looked at the contact. It was an unknown number. Frowning, I checked the text.

"Hey, 'Just Annabeth'," the text said. "It's Percy. I asked Thalia for your number. I guess I was too impatient for you to text me ;)" I felt heat fill my cheeks at that last sentence. Was I blushing? WHAT? ANNABETH CHASE DOES NOT BLUSH!

"Now she does," a sly little voice in my head, that sounded strangely like Rachel (one of my best friends), whispered. I mentally told that voice to shut the hell up as I typed back a reply.

"Getting impatient are we, Seaweed Brain? Looks like you need to learn how to be patient," I texted back and hit 'send'. I got a reply almost immediately back.

"'Seaweed Brain'?" Percy replied. "We've only know each other for a span of…what? Twelve hours? Maybe less? Where did you get 'Seaweed Brain' from anyways?" I thought for a minute. Where DID I get that nickname?

"Well…Thalia often said that you're not very…bright (and I totally agree, no offense) and you said that you swam a lot. Also Thalia said that her cousin often went to the beach (and I think that cousin is you) hence the seaweed part."

"…well…that was very descriptive. Btw, offense taken :("

I chuckled to myself. "Sorry :( but it's the truth."

"Annabeth!" I heard my mom call from downstairs. "Wake up! Rachel is probably going to be here soon!" Crap. I had promised Rachel a shopping trip today. Leaving my phone on top of my severely mussed covers, I quickly got up and grabbed the clothes I would be wearing today, and went to the bathroom, carrying Phil (yes, I decided to call my BiPAP Phil) with me on his special cart.

After I showered, (don't ask me how I did that with Phil around, YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW) I threw on my clothes and brushed my hair and teeth. Afterwards, I studied myself in the mirror. I was wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a button-up shirt. My curly blonde hair (which had grown back from the chemo) was in a ponytail, but I contemplated letting it down as I stared at myself.

"ANNABETH! RACHEL'S HERE!" My mom yelled.

"COMING!" I yelled back, carting Phil out of the bathroom and into my room, grabbing my phone, and walking carefully down the stairs. Rachel was waiting for me there, her arms crossed over her green sweater. She smiled a pearly white grin as soon as she saw me.

"Hey," she greeted, hugging me carefully. "I missed you!" I laughed, pulling away.

"It's been three days since we last saw each other," I reminded her. She lightly slapped my arm, laughing.

"Is it wrong to miss my best friend?" she questioned. I shook my head, smiling.

"Guess not."

"Anyways, let's go," she said. "My dad sent the car along with me." 'The car' meant the dark Mercedes Benz that came with a driver/bodyguard that Rachel absolutely hated. She rolled her eyes.

Did I forget to mention that Rachel is the only daughter of a famous company's CEO? Well, she is. And her dad treats her like the most precious jewel on the planet, often spoiling her with LOTS of money and gifts.

Rachel absolutely HATED it.

I slipped on my brown boots and my grey jacket, and we left my house together. The driver/bodyguard climbed out of the car and opened the door, his face carefully neutral as always. Rachel slipped in and the driver/bodyguard dude put Phil in next to Rachel before I climbed in, taking Phil's cart and storing it in the trunk. I closed the door and the car lurched forward and headed to our destination.

"So…how's Goode?" I asked. She sighed, obviously exasperated.

"You know how I feel about school," she complained. I chuckled at her. "But how's college?"

"Well," I said, shrugging. "It's fine. I have a new project. I need to design an imaginary mall. I get to name it and everything." I smiled, thinking of the mall that I already had in my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rachel roll her eyes.

"Only you, Annabeth Chase, could love getting a complicated project," she muttered, shaking her head. I whacked her on the arm.

"Shut up."

"Miss Dare, we have arrived at the mall," the guy in the front said from out of nowhere.

"I can see that, André," Rachel muttered. The car parked in a spot and the door on Rachel's side opened. She slid out easily and I followed, holding Phil in one hand. Surprisingly, the cart was already waiting for me. I quietly thanked André and put Phil on the cart.

"I'll pick you up in two hours." He told her sternly. Rachel nodded but gave me an exasperated look. I silently chuckled. As soon as André got into the car and drove away, Rachel and I walked into the mall.

"So... What store should we go to first?"

* * *

**Author's Note: HOLY CRAP GUYS! Thank you so much for reviewing/favouriting/following this story! And welcome all my 'The Red Games' and 'Second Chances' readers! **

**Honestly, I was going to abandon this story, but then I kept watching John Green's on set stuff, and I found myself inspired again, so I borrowed the book and read it again. So yeah, I'm sorry that it's so short, but I'll post a longer one up by tomorrow (?). **

**Thanks to: ahchatmui, Angelwings178, Madison, SeaweedBrain'sWiseGurl393, Titpoil, ShadowRider9, Heyitsthecats, Annabeth Weasley Fowl, A Battle Inside My Heart, percabeth4ever99, DuctTapePegasus, FlorenceBradbury, demigod22, winonabcd, Becc Paramore Lover, CrossoverQueen1998, doidoidoingngng, Elmlea, HiddenBlade, sam, Guest(s), ClaraoftheSea, Konoha no Shinobi, HOApercyjacksonHUNGERGAMES, SingingFroggy, Percabeth4, MyLifeofWriting, inv2, Wisegirl1480,CheapOldRelic8201 for reviewing/favouriting/following!**

**Replies:**

**Madison: I know, I'm so sorry for neglecting to update for like…two months :(. I hate it when authors do that too, so I guess I'm a hypocrite :/**

**A Battle Inside My Heart: Yeah! Virtual chocolate chip cookies for you! :) And yeah, I was so upset that I cried during the last few chapters :'(**

**winonabcd: I have very special plans for this story, and while it will seem VERY similar to TFiOS, I will not copy it word for word and will throw in my own events here and there. Especially the ending, I already have an ending planned out :)**

**Elmlea: Aww…thanks :)**

**sam: 3 Thank you!**

**Guest: I completely agree with you there! I 3 TFiOS!**

**ClaraoftheSea: Hah! I just wanted this story to happen, but I couldn't find any, so I just decided to do one myself :)**

**Wisegirl1480: Aw shucks! Thanks! But pretty much all props go to John Green, since I pretty much stole his idea and added a Percabeth spin on it.**

**MyLifeofWriting: Your wish is my command!**

**SingingFroggy: ….is it weird that I was thinking of adding a scene like that in? *sound of mind exploding* Well, you know what they say…great minds think alike, right?**

**PLEASE REVIEW/FAVOURITE/FOLLOW! IT WOULD REALLY HELP ME OUT A LOT!**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN PJO OR TFiOS. THEY BELONG TO RICK RIORDAN AND JOHN GREEN**

**And thanks to my awesome beta IGotDaFeels for fixing my absolutely horrible grammar :)**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

In a span of merely an hour and a half, Rachel managed to drag me to almost half of the stores in the mall. Most of the time, I just sat there and read Percy's book called 'The Price of Dawn', which was EXTREMELY violent and very warfare like, but surprisingly interesting. At one point, Rachel stopped looking through the racks of clothing and noticed the book in my hand, staring at the cover.

"Wow, Annabeth," she said, interrupting my reading mid-sentence. "I didn't think you were the kind of girl to read that kind of book." I looked up. She had a small grin tugging at her lips and a raised eyebrow. I frowned at her, wondering why she was making that kind of face.

"I guess," I mumbled, trying to get back to reading. But Rachel drew my attention away with a single, three-word sentence.

"Who is he?"

I closed up and gave her another frown. "What do you mean?" I asked, confused as to why she would jump to that conclusion. She smirked.

"Well, it's obvious that a guy made you read this, and the fact that you're ACTUALLY reading it is a whole other thing…." She trailed off for a bit, but then her smug eyes met mine. "So… Who is he?"

_To evade or not to evade? That is the question…._

"I think you know him," I muttered, not looking into her eyes anymore, but to the gory cover of 'The Price of Dawn' instead, thinking of Percy. "He said that he went to your school." She frowned thoughtfully, obviously thinking of her many, many guy friends who probably played this game. I felt a pang in my heart at this. I pretty much only had Thalia and Rachel as my friends while both of them probably had millions of other friends at their schools.

_'Well, at least you made a new friend. Percy,' _my subconscious whispered to me, and I mentally agreed.

One more person to hurt when I die.

"You've got to more specific, Annabeth Chase," Rachel's high-pitched voice cut through my gloomy thoughts.

"Sorry," I apologised, grinning a bit at the annoyed undertone in her voice. "His name's Percy Jackson."

"Percy?" She questioned, and then smiled. "You've met Percy?" I nodded. She began to laugh uncontrollably.

"Oh my God, that's amazing!" She said, picking up the several bags that were by my feet. I stood up, understanding that she wanted to leave. It was quite humorous, really. I had two bags while Rachel had about ten.

"Isn't Percy great?" She asked me as we were looking for a place to sit in the food court. I nodded. "He's always happy but sometimes he gets really…melancholy. Well, I guess that's what happens when you have can-" She stopped, staring at Phil, who was on his cart on my right, and the tubes in my nose, which were helping me breathe as we spoke. A few tears filled her eyes, but she looked away before they could spill over. A bitter taste filled my mouth and ice flooded through my veins.

"Rachel, it's okay," I told her, sounding unconvincing. "There's a chance I'm going to live for a while longer." She looked up at me with red eyes and sniffed.

"You're right," she said, giving a watery smile. "There's no need to spoil this lovely day when we haven't seen each other in the 'normal' way, like we used to before…."

"I understand," I said simply. She sniffed and patted my hand. Then, Rachel's phone, which had been on the table, started to vibrate and the caller ID said that it was her dad calling. She frowned, probably wondering why her dad was calling her, and picked up.

"Hi Dad," she said. "Why did you call?" Silence. But then Rachel's face filled with cold fury. "What do you mean I have to cut the shopping trip short?" A longer silence, but Rachel's fury dampened a bit when her dad said something else. "Dad, tell me what this 'family emergency' is." Shock filled her face and she went white.

"Alright, I'll be right out," she whispered and hung up. She had a haunted look in her eye. I was immediately concerned for her.

"Rach? What's wrong?" I asked, worry evident in my tone.

"My granddad just passed away," she whispered, a few tears sliding down her cheeks. I got up and wrapped an arm around her.

"I'm so sorry," I mumbled to her. She just sniffed and looked up, silently asking me to move away so she could get up. I took my arm off her shoulder and backed up a bit. She stood up and started gathering her things.

"I have to go now, Annabeth," she told me regretfully. "And I can't give you a ride, but I'll give you cab money." She began to rummage through her purse, but I stopped her.

"Listen, I'll have my dad pick me up later," I told her. "I…I still need to get some stuff. You know, from the other half of the store." She gave me a brief smile and gave me a tight hug, bags hanging from her hands. I hugged her back and then she pulled away.

"I'll see you soon, Annabeth." She promised and left. I waved after her and then sat down, sighing. I was worried for Rachel. She was so obviously broken about this. With loss comes pain. And the pain's always bad when you were really close to the one you lost. Rachel was incredibly close to her grandfather. According to her mother, she was her grandfather in a smaller, younger, female version.

I remembered the pain in Rachel's watery eyes when she found out. Would that pain be there when I died? I shook my morbid thoughts away and pulled out 'The Price of Dawn' from one of the shopping bags I had stuck it in.

* * *

I had lost track of the time that passed as I was reading and was incredibly surprised when I heard someone sit in the seat across from me. I looked up, half-expecting Rachel to be there, but instead found Percy.

"Hey 'Just Annabeth'," he greeted, grinning. He was in a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt, holding two coffee cups, his green eyes sparkling, and his hair in the mess it always was in. He placed one of the cups in front of me. I smiled, despite my irritation at the nickname.

"When will it get through to you that my name is Annabeth, Seaweed Brain?" I asked, glaring at him. He just grinned goofily.

"Fine," he said. "_Annabeth_." I smiled.

"Thank you," I replied, looking back to 'The Price of Dawn'. I was on the last page.

"So, what-" Percy began to ask, but I cut him off.

"Shh!" I cried. "I'm on the last page! Talk to me when I'm done." He gave me a confused look and then looked at the book in my hand, reading the title. He then looked up at me and gave me a wide smile.

"Fine, I'll wait."

I gave him a nod and then kept on reading.

A minute had passed as I put the book down. Percy gave me an expectant look.

"Okay, I'll admit," I said, sighing. "For a book based on a mind numbing videogame, it was pretty good." He chuckled.

"Told you so," he said. "Anyways, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was on a shopping trip with Rachel," I told him. "She got a call from her father saying that her granddad died, so she had to leave without me." He nodded solemnly.

"Yeah, Rach told me about that… Anyways," he said, brightening up a bit. "I disturbed you to ask you something."

"Oh really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Alright, I'm curious. What do you have to ask me?" From under the table, he pulled out 'An Imperial Affliction' and slid it towards me.

"Who do you think the Dutch Tulip Man is?"

I smiled.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Wow, it's so nice to see a lot of familiar names in my email alerts, and it's great to see a bunch of new ones too! So, here's the chapter I'm putting up today as a sort of "apology chapter" for not posting for a span of two months. Anyways, I've decided to update on a schedule. So, every Tuesday, Thursday, and every second Saturday, there will be a new chapter. Or does that seem too much for you guys? But there ****_will _****be times when things will not go exactly as planned, because of school (the bane of my existence), so…yeah…. **

**Anyways, thanks to: Bookluver132, I 3 1D. PJ. MR, GirlintheFall, WritingInSecret, Sam-DaughterOfPoseidon, AtlantaJackson95, RefuseToSink-13, Inepa, Grimes, potterblacklupin-4ever, alyaJackson, luvmealot, AnnabethChase210, owlgirl1998, theOneAndOn1yOne, RockLikeThere'sNoTomorrow, wrenergade, A Battle Inside My Heart, Wisegirl1480, SingingFroggy, Sora Loves Rain for reviewing/favouriting/following! **

**Responses to reviews:**

**I 3 1D. PJ. MR: I absolutely fell in love with TFiOS too! And I know that we (everyone who read TFiOS already, anyways) are dreading the inevitable end :'(**

**Sora Loves Rain: I'm glad that you're glad I updated ;)**

**SingingFroggy: Your welcome :D!**

**Wisegirl1480: The wait is over! (As you obviously know since you read this chapter already….)**

** AnnabethChase210: Aw, thank you! And, maybe….**

**A Battle Inside My Heart: Thank you and you're welcome :) And yes, I did see….**

**PLEASE REVIEW/FAVOURITE/FOLLOW, IT WOULD HELP ME OUT A LOT!**


End file.
